…

Month: October 2018

There are 8 distinct kinds of pearls that were used in vintage pearl jewelry. They include baroque pearls, blister pearls, cultured pearls, freshwater pearls, mabe pearls, natural pearls, Quahog pearls, and seed pearls.

A Beautiful Color

Pearls aren’t always white or cream colored. They can naturally occur in a variety of colors, including pink, purple, brown, or onyx. Their color greatly depends on the type of shellfish in which they are created and the surrounding water type.

A Distinct Texture

There is an easy way to determine if vintage pearls are real or imitation. Cultured pearls have a distinct, gritty texture that can be identified by rubbing them against the enamel of your tooth. Professional jewelers also have tools that can identify whether your vintage pearls are natural or man-made.

A Precious Item

Pearls are the only precious stone that is manufactured from a living being. Because they were so precious, divers often risked their lives trying to find naturally occurring pearls in the wild.

A Rare Find

The Golash Brooch features one of the most valuable vintage pearls in history. Dating from 1835, it features the largest and rarest Quahog pearl in existence. Although the brooch is nearly priceless, it was acquired for just $14 at an antique store that inaccurately mistook it for a cheap piece of costume jewelry.

A Popular Adornment

Vintage pearls are present throughout history. Ancient Egyptians regarded them as accessories that only royalty was allowed to wear, which is a tradition that carried through to the Middle Ages. Pearls reached the height of their popularity in the late 19th century, but are still incredibly popular adornments in modern precious jewelry.

A Perfect Piece

While simple strands of pearls are incredibly elegant and popular, vintage pearls are present in other adornments as well. Brooches, hair combs, and hat pins made during the Victorian era often feature pearls along with other precious gemstones and metals.

A Sentimental Accessory

Often dotted with seed pearls, mourning jewelry was extremely popular in the Victorian era. Usually black in color, these pieces featured religious symbols and inscriptions that memorialized a loved one that had recently passed. The seed pearls were meant to symbolize teardrops shed during the mourning period.

An Eternal Symbol

The popularity of pearls leads to mass manufacturing of synthetic pearls made from plastic or glass. While costume jewelry made the look of pearls accessible to the masses, natural pearls are still extremely precious, valuable, and rare.

An Everlasting Heirloom

Strands of pearls are widely regarded as vintage heirlooms in many cultures. Often, they are passed down on a woman’s wedding day, as vintage pearls are historically meant to symbolize purity.

We all expect a few sleepless nights when we become moms. Night feeds mean you’ll be lucky to get two hours at a time. Still, the majority of mothers keep the six-month mantle in our minds. This is when most babies move onto solid foods. It should, in theory, also be the time they start sleeping through. At some stages, that light at the end of the tunnel will be the only thing which keeps you positive.

That is until you reach the six month mark and put your baby in their own nursery, only to find a good night’s sleep still far away. You may gasp with horror, but this is a reality many mothers face. Every baby is different, and they don’t all start sleeping through the moment they don’t need a feed. The worst part about this is that there’s often no easy fix. At this age, you can’t just give them a bottle and put them down again. Instead, you’ll need to get your detective hat on and consider whether any of the following are keeping your baby awake.Food is still playing them upThough you thought food issues were behind you, your baby may still be crying as a result of their diet. Moving from milk to solid is a big leap, and it can often cause digestive issues. If these cause real discomfort, your baby may still cry due to pain. This can happen for various reasons. It may be that those solid foods are causing constipation. It may even be that your baby is experiencing an allergic reaction. If you’re concerned, a visit to the doctor won’t hurt. It may also be worth trying different foods until you find choices which don’t keep everyone up at night. They can’t get comfortable

Think about the times you can’t get comfortable in bed. It’s never pleasant. Whether your mattress is too lumpy, or the room temperature is all wrong, you toss and turn for hours. And, your baby will do the same, only they’ll cry about it to let you know. Make sure, then, that you get your little one as comfortable as can be. That could mean altering your room temperature, or even investing in something like the baby cribs and moses baskets at Cuckooland to increase comfort. Something as simple as this could cure all your bedtime woes.

They’re too tired

If neither above of the above seem to help, consider whether your baby is too tired when you put them down. We all know that babies get grumpy when overtired, but they can also work themselves into a state. This could lead to crying which keeps them awake and thus gets them even more upset. It may be worth, then, putting them down earlier, when they’re starting to get sleepy. This is a better option than waiting until they fall asleep to carry them to bed. Getting on the ball here could well unlock those sleepless nights you’ve been waiting for.